


Hounds

by OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor



Series: Naruto Drabbles [21]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, KakaYama - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, ninken - Freeform, the pack looks after Kakashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 22:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13350825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor/pseuds/OnceAndAlwaysEnglishMajor
Summary: Kakashi comes back from a mission and it’s up to his ninja hounds to look after him. ANBU Era.





	Hounds

**Author's Note:**

> Author has not finished Shippūden.

     Kakashi trudged into his apartment, shoulders sagging. He pulled his summoning scroll out of his pack to call the ninken. Pakkun sized up the situation in an instant.  
     “All right, kid, into the shower. Bull, help me out here,” Pakkun said. The massive bulldog started nudging Kakashi toward the bathroom. Kakashi moved mechanically. Pakkun nosed the shower on, then tugged on Kakashi’s pants, wincing at the smell of blood.  
     “Are you hurt, kid?” He asked. Kakashi stared blankly with his one visible eye.  
     “Bisuke, Akino,” Pakkun called. They joined Pakkun in tugging at Kakashi’s clothes until he slowly peeled them off. Pakkun looked him over, but couldn’t see any visible injuries.  
     “Into the shower,” Pakkun repeated. Kakashi stepped in, and Pakkun jumped in after him, not trusting the young ninja alone, not knowing what had happened in the field. Pakkun muttered instructions, “scrub down, wash your hair,” that Kakashi followed woodenly. Pakkun knew the rest of the pack would be making Kakashi something hot to eat once they got him out of the shower. It wasn’t the first time he’d come home in this state.  
     “Good job, kid,” Pakkun said. “Let’s get out now.” He nosed Kakashi’s ankles until he stepped out of the shower. Bull nudged Kakashi’s hand with the clean town in his jaws.  
     “Urushi, how’s it coming?” Pakkun asked, checking in with the rest of the pack.  
     “He doesn’t have much real food,” Urushi answered, “but we made him some ramen. At least it’s hot.”  
     “That’ll do,” Pakkun said. Shiba dropped a pair of fleece pajama bottoms in front of Kakashi.  
     “How bad do you think it is?” He muttered to Pakkun.  
     “Not the worst we’ve seen, but not great. Just be glad he summons us out of habit. Can you imagine if he didn’t?” Both hounds winced at the idea. Shiba nudged the pajama bottoms toward Kakashi again, as Kakashi still hadn't moved.  
     “C’mon kid, let’s get dressed,” Pakkun said. “Put on the pants, then we’ve got some ramen ready for you, ok?” Kakashi didn’t answer, but he did put on the flannel bottoms and follow Shiba to the steaming bowl of instant ramen set on the low table. Kakashi started eating without too much prodding, which Pakkun considered a good sign. But the pup still hadn’t said a word. The pack crowded around Kakashi as he ate, pressing as close as they could. Pakkun pulled Bisuke aside.  
     “Go fetch Tenzo,” Pakkun said, rooting around under Kakashi’s bed. “He wore this sweatshirt last time he was here, it should still smell like him. If he’s not on a mission, bring him back. Maybe that will snap our pup out of it. Or maybe he knows what happened.” Bisuke buried his nose in the sweater, breathed deeply, then leapt out of the window.  
     “Good luck,” Pakkun said, staring after him. He turned his attention back to Kakashi, who sat with his eyes closed, both hands fisted in dog fur. Pakkun grabbed the empty bowl from the table a deposited it in the sink. Pakkun wriggled himself through the mass of bodies until he could curl up on Kakashi’s lap. Pakkun understood war. He understood the battle, the harshness, the desperation that came with it. They had been Sakumo’s pack before Kakashi, after all. But the weight of it was stifling. Seeing Kakashi like this… The pup he’d babysat, watched learning to crawl, turned into a weapon, broken and reforged time and time again. It was a brutal life, the life of a ninja.  
     “Find the bright spots, kid,” he found himself saying. “Every life is worth living if you just find the bright spots.” He couldn’t tell if Kakashi heard him or not. Kakashi’s eyes were still closed, his breathing teetering on the edge of erratic as he used the solid comfort of the ninja hounds to ground himself. The door rattled and crashed open, a sound too loud in the quiet of the apartment. The pack leapt up, positioning themselves between Kakashi and the potential threat, hackles raised, teeth bared. Tenzo panted in the doorway while Bisuke danced around his feet.  
     “Sorry,” Tenzo said still breathing heavily. “I had to pick it, I couldn’t find the spare key Senpai gave me.” The pack relaxed, and Bisuke herded Tenzo into the apartment.  
     “What’s going on?” Tenzo asked. “Bisuke wouldn’t say anything, just that I had to come.” Pakkun could sense the worry radiating off the pup. Then he saw Kakashi, still sitting at the table, watching but not really registering what was going on.  
     “Senpai?” He asked. Kakashi didn’t respond. Tenzo dropped to his knees next to Kakashi.  
“What happened?” Tenzo asked. Kakashi still didn’t answer, so Pakkun filled him in.  
     “He was on a solo ANBU mission. He came home like this. It’s not the worst it’s ever been, but it’s not good either,” Pakkun said. Tenzo reached toward Kakashi, his hand hovering just over Kakashi’s bare shoulder.  
     “Go ahead, kid,” Pakkun encouraged, “Physical touch is good.”  
     “Senpai?” Tenzo said again, lightly touching Kakashi’s shoulder. Kakashi finally looked at him. Pakkun sighed in relief. Kakashi blinked slowly, shifting to rest his cheek against Tenzo’s hand. The younger ninja made a strangled sound, shuffling to pull Kakashi into his arms, holding him as tightly as he could. Kakashi responded, his movements still slow and thick as he wrapped his arms around Tenzo’s waist. Pakkun felt the tension in the room drop. Their pup would be all right. The pack crowded in again, surrounding the boys.  
     “Did you eat?” Pakkun asked Tenzo.  
     “No,” the young ninja answers. Pakkun sighs.  
     “Well, Kakashi doesn’t have much in the way of real food, but we can make some instant ramen.” He pulls Bull into the kitchen with him, to help where he couldn’t reach. It took a little persuading to get Tenzo to let go of Kakashi enough to eat his ramen. Pakkun dug through Kakashi’s drawers, coming up with a second pair of pajama bottoms.  
     “Here, you go, pup,” he said, nudging the bottoms toward Tenzo. “Don’t argue with me, you’re still in full gear, and we all know you’re staying here tonight.” Tenzo started to argue, but Pakkun stared him down.  
     “Would you really leave him tonight?” Pakkun asked. Tenzo snapped his mouth shut, any argument dying on his tongue. He snatched up the pajama bottoms and shuffled to the bathroom. Pakkun shook his head. Stubborn humans.  
Two humans and eight ninja hounds should not be able to fit on a single twin bed. Even if Tenzo was still willowy at 15, Bull more than made up for him. But somehow they made it work, and nobody fell off the bed in the middle of the night. Kakashi woke up slowly, warm and comfortable. He could feel the ninken all around him, so he didn’t bother to open his eyes. He shifted slightly, only to feel something that was most definitely not a ninja hound at his back. He stiffened.  
     “Senpai?” A sleepy voice mumbled between his shoulder blades.  
     “Tenzo?” He asked.  
     “Mmmm,” the younger ninja hummed.  
     “What are you doing here?” Kakashi asked.  
     “Bisuke got me last night,” Tenzo said, sounding much more awake. “They were worried about you. Do you want me to leave?”  
     “No,” Kakashi said, a touch too quickly. “Stay. You’d just disturb the pack, anyway,” he added as an afterthought.  
     “Ok,” Tenzo said. Kakashi felt Tenzo’s cheek pressed between his shoulders and his arms tightened slightly around Kakashi’s chest.  
Something smelled delicious.  
     “C’mon, kids, breakfast is here,” Pakkun called. Kakashi swung his legs over the side of the bed. Tenzo sat up behind him.  
     “Did you order out?” Kakashi asked.  
     “Wouldn’t have to if you would keep real food in the house,” Pakkun said.  
     “Real food goes bad too quickly,” Kakashi said. “What did you get?”  
     “Pancakes, of course. I know they’re your favorite,” Pakkun said.  
     “Yo, Tenzo!” Kakashi called. “How do you feel about pancakes?”  
     “I like pancakes,” Tenzo said, crawling out of the bed.  
     “Good,” Pakkun said. “I ordered enough for everyone.” They ate quietly for several minutes before Kakashi broke the silence.  
     “Tenzo, your hair is a mess!” Kakashi said. His smile crinkled his eyes, and Tenzo relished being able to see the whole expression, nothing hidden by a mask.  
     “Uh, yeah,” he said sheepishly. “I usually braid it before bed, but I sort of forgot last night.”  
     “I can brush it out for you,” Kakashi offered.  
     “Senpai, do you even have a brush? Not a dog brush,” Tenzo specified.  
     “Not a brush, but a comb,” Kakashi said, sounding slightly offended. “I do comb my hair, you know.”  
     “Really?” Tenzo said, eyeing Kakashi, who’s wild silver hair currently stuck out in all directions. Kakashi smacked him lightly on the arm.  
     “You wound me, Tenzo!”  
     “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Tenzo said, laughing. “I’ll let you comb my hair.” Kakashi retrieved the comb from the bathroom, kneeling behind Tenzo. He worked his fingers carefully through Tenzo’s long hair, using the comb to untangle the knots.  
     “My turn,” Tenzo said when Kakashi finished.  
     “What?” Kakashi asked.  
     “Give me the comb, I’m going to untangle that rat’s nest,” Tenzo said, holding out his hand. Kakashi dropped the comb into it. Tenzo scooted around until he was kneeling behind Kakashi.  
     “Sit flat,” Tenzo told him, “You’re too tall for me on your knees like this.” Kakashi shifted to sit costs-legged, trying to watch Tenzo out of the corner of his eye. Tenzo’s hands rested lightly on Kakashi’s shoulders.  
     “Calm down, Senpai. I would never do anything to hurt you. Hasn’t anyone ever combed your hair before?” Tenzo asked.  
     “Not… Not for years,” Kakashi said, his voice a little shaky. Tenzo pretended not to notice.  
     “I would never do anything to hurt you,” Tenzo repeated, his thumbs rubbing small circles on Kakashi’s shoulders. Pakkun finished licking the syrup off Kakashi’s plate and climbed into the copy ninja’s lap.  
     “Don’t bite the hand that gives you treats, kid,” Pakkun said, closing his eyes.  
     “Good advice as always, Pakkun,” Kakashi said, petting the ninja hound. Tenzo’s hands moved from his shoulders into his hair, gently working through the many tangles.  
     “Are you sure you comb your hair, Senpai?” Tenzo asked, working through a particularly vicious snarl.  
     “Are you doubting your senpai’s word?” Kakashi asked, pretending to be offended.  
     “Never!” Tenzo answered quickly.  
     “It might have been a while,” Kakashi admitted. “I was in the field, then last night… Last night I wasn’t in much shaped to deal with it either.”  
     “Good thing I’m here to help you out then, huh, Senpai?” Tenzo said with a note of cheerfulness that was just a little forced. Kakashi reached around to awkwardly pat Tenzo’s thigh, the only part he could easily reach.  
     “Yeah, Tenzo, it’s a good thing you’re here.”        


End file.
